Generally, before a land parcel is used for any specific purpose such as residential or commercial, appropriate approvals are required to be sought and obtained from competent local Government bodies. The usage of the land parcel is to be limited to the approval granted by the local Government body and any non-compliance therein may result in punitive action as per the law of the land.
Property tax is a major source of revenue for local Government bodies. Tax rates are usually linked to the type of usage. Generally, residential usage of a land parcel attracts lower tax rates as compared to commercial usage. It is quite possible that a land parcel approved for residential usage is ultimately used for commercial purposes. Thus, land usage regulation from the local Government body point of view in the context of revenue collection is of paramount importance. Enforcement of approved usage of land parcel and fraud detection in this regard is a key concern of the local Government Bodies. Efficient enforcement of approved land usage is difficult and requires an army of land inspectors which is generally not feasible. Thus, there is a need to explore technological means for enforcing approved land usage and detecting non-compliance in this regard.